Action Songs About the Busy Lives of Autumn Leaves
by Kathy Warnes
Leaves have busy lives just like people do. They make food for the trees, they provide warm blankets for plants in the winter and they create fall fun.
Leaves have busy days, weeks, and months. They change with the seasons and help new plants grow. In the spring and summer they make the food that the tree needs to grow. Some of the cells in the leaf have chlorophyll and chlorophyll is what makes the color of the leaf green. Chlorophyll uses the energy of the sun to change carbon dioxide and water to sugar and starch which is food for the tree. Besides green, there are yellow, orange, and red pigments in the leave cells, but in the summer green is the most widespread color.
Leaves Show Their True Colors
Then fall comes. The days grow shorter and the temperature is warm during the day and cold at night. The leaves stop making food. The chlorophyll stops working and the green color in the leaves disappears. When the green disappears, the yellow, orange and red pigments in the leaves show off their colors.
Leaf Blooming Song
(To the tune of The Farmer in the Dell)
The green has disappeared,
The green has disappeared,
I am a mountain ash tree and a fine fellow,
Look at my bright yellow.
The green has disappeared,
The green has disappeared,
I am an orange maple that glows so bright,
I look like a fire at night.
The green has disappeared,
The green has disappeared,
I am a pin oak tree my red lasts long
After the maple leaves have gone.
My green can still be found,
My leaves aren't on the ground,
I'm an evergreen, I'm long and lean,
And I bloom all year around.
It’s Time for the Leaves to Leave
Every leaf has a special layer at the bottom to help it fall. When the time of autumn comes for the leaf to leave the tree, the cells in this layer of the leaf grows like a bubble gum bubble, and the leaf doesn‟t get as much food from the tree as it did in spring and summer. Soon, the entire bottom layer of the leaf is blocked and a tear line like a dotted paper tearing line appears and moves down. Eventually, the leaf blows away or falls off the tree.
The Leaves Dance Off The Trees
(To the Tune of Mary Had A Little Lamb)
(Children can draw or use different colored leaves and dance the Leaf Color Dance. Or each child can take a different colored leaf and do an individual leaf dance)
I'm dancing, dancing from my tree,
I'm twirling free, twirling free,
I'm dancing, dancing from my tree,
Will you color dance with me?
Fall is the time for color clothes,
Red coat, red nose, red coat, red nose,
Fall is the time for color clothes,
Dance with me on rainbow toes.
Red and yellow, orange too,
Orange too, orange too,
Red and yellow orange too,
Let's dance up to the sky so blue!
Some Leaves Don’t Leave
Evergreen trees like pines and firs don't shed their leaves or needles in winter. The cells contain compounds that work like anti-freeze and the outside of the needles are covered with a thick wax winter coat. Evergreen leaves often last for years before they fall in favor of new leaves.
What Do You Do With Leaves on the Ground?
(To the tune of London Bridge is Falling Down) (The children can act out this song while they sing.)
What do you do with leaves on the ground?
Leaves on the ground, leaves on the ground,
What do you do with leaves on the ground?
Rake them into a big mound!
What do you do with leaves in a mound?
Leaves in a mound, leaves in a mound,
What do you do with leaves in a mound?
Jump in them and scatter them around!
What do you do with a leaves in a mound
That have been scattered around, scattered around,
Bury yourself in them and make a crunchy nest,
And settle down for a winter's rest.
Leaves on the Ground
When leaves settle on the ground, natural organisms including bacteria and earthworms break them down. The broken down leaves feed their nutrients to the soil and become part of the humus layer on the forest floor. They soak up rain and make snug homes for grubs. People use leaves for mulch that provides a warm blanket for seeds and plants during the winter and encourages them to grow early in the spring.
References
Ehlert, Lois, Leaf Man, Harcourt Children's Books, 2005
Glaser, Linda, It’s Fall, Milbrook Press, 2001
Hall, Zoe, Fall Leaves Fall!, Scholastic Press, 2000
Maestro, Betsy, Why Do Leaves Change Color?, Collins, 1994
Leaves have busy lives just like people do. They make food for the trees, they provide warm blankets for plants in the winter and they create fall fun.
Leaves have busy days, weeks, and months. They change with the seasons and help new plants grow. In the spring and summer they make the food that the tree needs to grow. Some of the cells in the leaf have chlorophyll and chlorophyll is what makes the color of the leaf green. Chlorophyll uses the energy of the sun to change carbon dioxide and water to sugar and starch which is food for the tree. Besides green, there are yellow, orange, and red pigments in the leave cells, but in the summer green is the most widespread color.
Leaves Show Their True Colors
Then fall comes. The days grow shorter and the temperature is warm during the day and cold at night. The leaves stop making food. The chlorophyll stops working and the green color in the leaves disappears. When the green disappears, the yellow, orange and red pigments in the leaves show off their colors.
Leaf Blooming Song
(To the tune of The Farmer in the Dell)
The green has disappeared,
The green has disappeared,
I am a mountain ash tree and a fine fellow,
Look at my bright yellow.
The green has disappeared,
The green has disappeared,
I am an orange maple that glows so bright,
I look like a fire at night.
The green has disappeared,
The green has disappeared,
I am a pin oak tree my red lasts long
After the maple leaves have gone.
My green can still be found,
My leaves aren't on the ground,
I'm an evergreen, I'm long and lean,
And I bloom all year around.
It’s Time for the Leaves to Leave
Every leaf has a special layer at the bottom to help it fall. When the time of autumn comes for the leaf to leave the tree, the cells in this layer of the leaf grows like a bubble gum bubble, and the leaf doesn‟t get as much food from the tree as it did in spring and summer. Soon, the entire bottom layer of the leaf is blocked and a tear line like a dotted paper tearing line appears and moves down. Eventually, the leaf blows away or falls off the tree.
The Leaves Dance Off The Trees
(To the Tune of Mary Had A Little Lamb)
(Children can draw or use different colored leaves and dance the Leaf Color Dance. Or each child can take a different colored leaf and do an individual leaf dance)
I'm dancing, dancing from my tree,
I'm twirling free, twirling free,
I'm dancing, dancing from my tree,
Will you color dance with me?
Fall is the time for color clothes,
Red coat, red nose, red coat, red nose,
Fall is the time for color clothes,
Dance with me on rainbow toes.
Red and yellow, orange too,
Orange too, orange too,
Red and yellow orange too,
Let's dance up to the sky so blue!
Some Leaves Don’t Leave
Evergreen trees like pines and firs don't shed their leaves or needles in winter. The cells contain compounds that work like anti-freeze and the outside of the needles are covered with a thick wax winter coat. Evergreen leaves often last for years before they fall in favor of new leaves.
What Do You Do With Leaves on the Ground?
(To the tune of London Bridge is Falling Down) (The children can act out this song while they sing.)
What do you do with leaves on the ground?
Leaves on the ground, leaves on the ground,
What do you do with leaves on the ground?
Rake them into a big mound!
What do you do with leaves in a mound?
Leaves in a mound, leaves in a mound,
What do you do with leaves in a mound?
Jump in them and scatter them around!
What do you do with a leaves in a mound
That have been scattered around, scattered around,
Bury yourself in them and make a crunchy nest,
And settle down for a winter's rest.
Leaves on the Ground
When leaves settle on the ground, natural organisms including bacteria and earthworms break them down. The broken down leaves feed their nutrients to the soil and become part of the humus layer on the forest floor. They soak up rain and make snug homes for grubs. People use leaves for mulch that provides a warm blanket for seeds and plants during the winter and encourages them to grow early in the spring.
References
Ehlert, Lois, Leaf Man, Harcourt Children's Books, 2005
Glaser, Linda, It’s Fall, Milbrook Press, 2001
Hall, Zoe, Fall Leaves Fall!, Scholastic Press, 2000
Maestro, Betsy, Why Do Leaves Change Color?, Collins, 1994